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This week, I wanted to take pictures of the sculptures at the Walters Museum, make sure the pictures taken were as good as the camera allowed for, and to create a couple models on 123d print to see what they would look like. I was able to meet with Ashley Hosler and take the photos I needed. In all, over 1000 photos were taken. Pictures were taken of over ten sculptures. Once these pictures were loaded into 123d Print, we were able to see that for the most part our sculptures/pictures were what I was hoping for. The images and 3d models were clear, and it was easy to tell what the model was modeling. Next week, I would like to focus in on my poster, and also try to model one sculpture. Lastly, I would like to get in touch with Ashley Hosler to let her know how everything turned out.

This week I wanted to begin preparing for my mid-term paper. I also wanted to get in touch with my project coordinator in order to ask further questions about my upcoming visit to sensory mornings. Next week, I would like to meet with Ganesh and take pictures to practice 3-D modeling.

This weeks reading discussed screen readers, and tactics people have used in order to get more out of the screen reader. This reading also goes over some of the issues that arise when using a screen reader.

There are many strategies when using screen readers in order to make them more efficient. One of the browsing strategies is to increase the speed at which the screen reader reads the text. Many individuals like readers that sound human like, but for someone using a screen reader, this is not the case. Increasing the speed of a screen reader can make a fake voice sound even more fake. Increasing the speed of the screen reader is not for beginners, and is usually done after someone becomes more comfortable with the reader.

Another technique used is to navigate through all of the headings using a screen reader. There are hot keys when using the reader that can allow for faster navigation. Searching for headers is a way to let the user know where things are located on the screen. This browsing technique also helps to find where important information lies.

Another option when using screen readers is to create your own landmarks. Doing so allows the user to navigate to whichever place he/she wishes on the screen. In order to do this, the user must already be knowledgeable of the site, and also be using a screen reading software that has this capability.

Another technique used is looking for particular tags within the html in a user interface. Tags within html contain sets of information and are stored and organized through special characters. One of these character is the p tag or <p> . When tabbing through a site looking for p tags, a user is able to navigate where more than likely, there will be some sort of information. If all of the browsing techniques fail, individuals would then have to tab through the page one section at a time.

In order to analyze two twitter accounts, I used a webpage titled “Simply Measured.” After going to the site, I analyzed a friend’s account, and also Lil Wayne’s account. The site analyzes the accounts and identifies a number of account attributes. The site shows account information as well as the accounts number of followers. The site also offers charts describing characteristics of when people had tweeted most from their account. Lastly, the site offered a percentage and table giving details about the accounts klout. A klout score identifies how influential someone is. The site gives details of the account owner’s klout score, and also their viewer’s klout scores.

The IQ Alarm Clock is no ordinary clock. The point behind the clocks design is to make sure its user is not continuing to hit the snooze button when they need to be out of bed and getting ready for their day. Rather than offering a single snooze button as most alarm clocks (smart phones), the alarm clock asks its user a question when it is time to wake up. When the alarm goes of, and a question is offered to its user, the clock gives multiple-choice questions with four optional answers using recognition rather than recall. Every time the user answers a question, the clock will snooze for its allotted time. Each time the alarm goes off, the questions become more difficult to answer. This may make the user unhappy, but the alarm clock will surely fulfill its task.

This design is a part of Human-Centered Design because the interface is designed around helping humans. The sole purpose of this new design is to get someone out of bed, and happens to do so very well. The user must also interact with the interface in order for the task to resolve, leaving the user with no more questions to answer.

People needed for this design:

-Electrician

-Clock maker

-Programmer-for the questions- also to make questions more difficult as time goes on.

-UX designer for interface attributes, look, and feel.

This is a project I believe I would enjoy following the completion of the HCC program. This design seems simple but can become very complex as more questions are answered. Working on a project such as the IQ Alarm Clock would fulfill my desire to design, and to also help people.

The Senzo Nightlight is a nightlight that will stream from one end of the wall to the next. The nightlight is built so that no matter which wall someone is standing next to, they are able to see with a simple touch of the light. The nightlight has a power source so that batteries are not wasted throughout the day when the light is not being used. The pressure sensors in the nightlight are strung through its entire shell, creating an easy to use design. The design was created with the thought of someone walking down a dark hallway. If someone cannot see walking down a dark hallway, it is sometimes easier for him or her to use a hand or fingertip to distinguish where a wall is in reference to the walkway. Rather than having to touch a wall to identify objects or hallways in the dark, this light will immediately illuminate the walkway for an easier late-night walk to the kitchen without stumbling over any annoying rugs or furniture. The light has three modes. The first mode is standby which is when the light is waiting to be touched, the second is the on mode which lights the entire walkway up without having to constantly touch the light, and the last mode is the E mode. In E mode, if the power in the house goes out, the light immediately illuminates.

This design has to do with Human-Centered Design because its sole purpose is to help a user in the absence of light. The product was created for a direct touch from the user and also includes settings that can be easily manipulated by the user. The light contains automatic feedback in that a touch will turn the light on depending on the setting the device is locked into.

People needed to create this device:

Electrician- Electrical circuits and components

Expert in sensory touch

Testers- All ages and heights to ensure the use of the product

Home Designer- To make the aesthetics and sensors appropriate- also to allow the right amount of light.

Although I believe this to be a simple design, it is also a very clever design. This light could help any children, adults with cluttered homes, and maybe even construction workers working in dark rooms or hallways. I would enjoy working on a design such as this after the Human-Centered Computing program.

This weeks reading ”The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction” discusses more about the user than the system the user is communicating with. The reading begins by discussing the perceptual system, the motor system, and the cognitive system. All of these systems are in sync and work together as one machine. The perceptual model can be viewed as an input, and the motor system can be viewed as an output. The Cognitive system is what connects the perceptual and motor system. The reading also discusses how memory works, and also the divisions of the memory system and how individuals are able to transfer information from the short-term memory to the long-term memory. The two best ways to transfer information from the short to long-term memory is to either use repetition, or to connect the piece of information an individual wants to remember to another piece of information that already exists in the long-term memory. For example, I would easily remember a new persons name if it was the same name as my mother because my mothers name is already located in my long-term memory.

The Reading also discusses interference vs. decay. Both interference and decay are ways that individuals can loose information from their memory. Interference is when a thought or idea blocks an individual’s pre-existing thought. This stops the individual from remembering the blocked piece of information. Decay is the lose of information over time. In other words, if you don’t use it, you loose it.

I believe that the future of HCC cannot be seen when only observing one specific design, but I do believe that the future of HCC is all around us. One design that can be seen in its advancing is the car. Rinspeed has created a vehicle that was shown at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show called the XchangE. This car looks like a sports car on the outside and is a self-driving concept on the inside. Each seat was made to simulate the seats on an airline, which drastically improves the comfort of the user. The interior design of the car was created by a company whose main purpose is to create prosthetic limbs. Because the cars interior was made from individuals who are experts of the human body and how the body moves, they were able to implement a number of new seat settings, allowing passengers of the car to prop their feet up and turn their bodies completely around with comfort and ease. The new concept car also comes with a new “steer by wire” system that allows for the car to be turned when the wheel is pushed right or left rather than being turned right or left. There is no mechanical linkage within the steering wheel design. Lastly, the car offers a total of four screens with built in 4G. The car also has a dock for a tablet and can be used to make conference video calls right from the inside of the car.

Rinspeed’s concept car is just an example of the future of HCC. It shows how we can combine office supplies, comfortable lighting, ease in seat adjustment, entertainment, and relaxation all in a 4-door sedan. The possibilities are endless in creating these new designs and I am curious to see what the 2015 Motor Show brings to the table.

The change it wall is a wall built from triangle pieces. These Pieces are strung side-by-side so that the viewer only sees one side of each triangle. These sides form a wall that can be manipulated. The colors on the different sides of the triangles can by turned forward to create different images or designs desired by the user. The wall can switch from rainbow colors to an all black or white theme.

This wall of art is related to Human-Centered Computing because it is a group of objects strung together that can be manipulated by its user to create a certain outcome. Without a user to manipulate the wall, there would be no purpose in the wall being created the way that it is.

Skills used to create this work:

Home model/designer

System analyst

Graphic designing

Designer to put structure together

I really enjoy the idea of being able to manipulate the wall/walls in the house depending on an individual’s mood. I would definitely enjoy creating products such as this unique wall after graduating from the HCC program.

This weeks reading discussed the future of interaction design. The book discusses changes occurring in browsers as well as the semantic web. The semantic web is filled with what is called “intelligent agents”. These agents have a primary job of doing all of the things that may be to complex or time consuming for human to do. These operations could include complex calculations as well as sorting user photos from a photo stream. These intelligent agents would have their own language meaning that there will be web pages that are readable to these intelligent agents offering them direction.

This chapter also discusses ubiquitous computing. Computers are everywhere we go and their numbers will only continue to grow. There are ideas in the text discussing computers in our homes as well as in our clothing. Some concepts for wearable technology includes technical filled clothing that can determine the weather and offer information just as a smart phone would.

This chapter also discusses the concerns with all of the new ubiquitous operating systems. Homes may soon be able to determine the desired room temperature, lighting, music, and scent just from a users clothing color. Although this idea may be fascinating, it is also stateless meaning that there is no undo button. It is much easier to click the undo button on a computer software program but this is not something that can be done so easily when a system is constantly changing to what it believes its users desires are.